PBS's signature (and multi-award-winning) natural-history series uses gifted wildlife documentarians and stunning photography to reveal what its first host, Donald Johanson, called `the magic and mystery of the fascinating natural world.' The series has ga (more…)PBS's signature (and multi-award-winning) natural-history series uses gifted wildlife documentarians and stunning photography to reveal what its first host, Donald Johanson, called `the magic and mystery of the fascinating natural world.' The series has garnered numerous prizes, including the Sierra Club Award; and both an Emmy and a Peabody in 1987 for `A Season in the Sun,' a memorable portrait of East Africa by Alan and Joan Root. Its first show was the lyrical `Flight of the Condor.'

It's May Day (as in: mayday!) for the Russian spies — and just about everyone else — in the taut first-season finale of FX's emotionally engrossing The Americans (Wednesday, 10/9c). Chivalry is not dead, even in the estranged not-quite-ma… Read more

Cats are among the most feared and revered creatures on the planet. Their power, strength, and enigmatic nature have fascinated us for centuries. They are one of the most studied mammals in the world yet only now is their real identity being understood – from their incredible hunting abilities, to their unique physiology and remarkable behaviors. With nearly 40 different species, thriving in almost any environment, the cat is one of the most successful predators since the dinosaurs. Using the latest camera technology and working with leading scientists, we are able to tell the story like never before. Join Nature in this epic two-part event as we journey across the globe tracking down the origins of these diverse creatures. Take an in-depth look at what makes the family of felines unique and the evolutionary tricks and adaptions that truly make a cat, a cat. In Part 2, Track the story of cats into the Americas, from battles with their age-old rivals, the dog family, to the rise of domestic cats. Meet the mighty jaguar, the urban mountain lion, the curious ocelot, the Canada lynx, the nimble margay, the Siamese cat and the Sphynx.

In the day-to-day drama taking place at one of the world’s wildest hospitals, a jungle veterinarian named Alejandro Morales, his zoologist girlfriend Anna Bryant, and their team of dedicated staff and volunteers take on dangerous and exciting challenges as they care for a cast of iconic endangered animals. In this vivid and compelling film, we follow the couple and their team through a year at ARCAS, a rescue center deep in the Guatemalan jungle, where on any given day they could be bottle-feeding a baby monkey, stitching up an injured rare potoo chick, or wrestling a crocodile. The jungle hospital is home to spider and howler monkeys, jaguars, armadillos, crocs, gray foxes, and a huge variety of colorful birds. Some animals arrive at the hospital lost and helpless – from malnourished baby parrots rescued from pet trade smugglers to baby monkeys in diapers, who all need mothering and care to teach them how to be wild until they can be released. Other creatures have been injured or saved from harm. Some stay for a month, others for a day, and some, sadly, never return to the forest at all. But every animal deserves a fighting chance to be wild.

Across the planet, animals are joining forces. They are doing so in surprising and diverse ways, whether it is to hunt, build a home, or solve complex problems. Partnerships were once thought rare in the animal kingdom, but now more and more are being discovered. Some are what we might expect from animals of the same species – elephant matriarchs helping a baby elephant, a pod of killer whales hunting as a team, or a troop of capuchin monkeys scheming together to steal a meal from a snake. What’s really astonishing is that often completely unrelated species such as the finch and the tortoise, the lizard and lions, and the raven and the wolverine become unlikely collaborators. Such teamwork involves considerable brainpower, revealing just what animals are really capable of. By teaming up, animals can achieve incredible things, becoming greater than the sum of their parts.

Animal Reunions have captured the imaginations of millions of people worldwide. YouTube is full of animal reunion stories – moments that illustrate and capture genuine affection and emotion between and among species. These rare moments provide a fleeting window into the emotional capacities of animals and their ability to form bonds with humans. But can wild animals really feel joy, devotion and love? Most animal lovers are convinced that they do, and now scientists are beginning to agree as we discover the stories that bring those animal emotions to life. We meet orphaned elephants in Kenya who have learned to trust their nursery keepers even after they lost their families at the hand of man – and witness a deep bond revealed as the head keeper travels to the National Park to see if his fully grown elephants remember him. We meet Damian Aspinall, the first man to release a captive-bred family of gorillas back to the wild, and see his reunion with one of those gorillas, proving a bond that may last a lifetime. We also meet Jane Goodall, the legendary chimpanzee researcher who was once heavily criticized for her claims about animal emotions; and Rebeca Atencia, the veterinarian who runs a Congolese chimp sanctuary set up by Goodall, as she travels to find the orphan chimpanzee she raised and released back into the wild. Through these incredible stories about human-animal relationships, illuminated by interviews with some of the world’s most eminent ethologists and academics, this film sets out to question not only the emotional intelligence of animals but the so-called divide between us and them.

Examining the ways animals attract mates. Included: the feminine wiles of a young gorilla; the search for a partner among a thousand flamingos; the "open" relationships of blue-footed boobies; and the soap opera-like entanglements of gibbons.

Examining the ways animals attract mates. Included: the feminine wiles of a young gorilla; the search for a partner among a thousand flamingos; the "open" relationships of blue-footed boobies; and the soap opera-like entanglements of gibbons.

Premise: PBS's signature (and multi-award-winning) natural-history series uses gifted wildlife documentarians and stunning photography to reveal what its first host, Donald Johanson, called `the magic and mystery of the fascinating natural world.' The series has ga…
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